


Babysitting Hera Agathon

by ivanolix



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Awkwardness, Babysitting, F/M, Married Couple, Season/Series 03, Wordcount: 100-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-31
Updated: 2009-03-31
Packaged: 2017-10-20 18:51:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/215997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivanolix/pseuds/ivanolix





	Babysitting Hera Agathon

Kara's grimaced and looked at her hands. They were almost healed from that fiery raptor crash she’d taken on the algae planet, but still tender enough for bandages. And gods, she didn't want to lift anything ever again.

Sam had helped her with her hands the first few days, as she held back tears during the nights where she couldn’t sleep. He wasn’t supposed to do that according to their unspoken pact—but she accepted the morpha and new bandages anyways. And felt guilty that she didn’t, maybe couldn’t, give him anything back. Her hands got well enough, and he left according to her wishes, only she saw the hurt sitting in the back of his eyes.

She wasn’t going to ask for his help now—for his sake or hers she didn’t bother to think through. That didn’t leave her with many options, though, since she wasn’t going to let Cottle or Ishay at it. Grimacing again, less for her hands and more for the fact that no one was there to see, she walked out of the pilots’ quarters. Either Helo or Athena would be in their room, their shifts now arranged so that they had no need for daycare. Kara only half-mocked Helo for being clingy, and he only took it half-seriously, because down deep she knew the ripping loss of a little one and Helo knew she knew. She wouldn’t have trusted Kacey in anyone else’s hands.

She knocked on his door with her elbow. Inside she heard Hera’s babble that might have been “Mama?”, and footsteps coming to the door. She looked up as it opened, expecting Helo.

She and Sam just stared at each other, caught in the shock.

“Uh,” he said, one hand resting on the door and the other by his side.

“Yeah,” she said, not having anything else. Her hand almost went to push a bit of hair behind her ear, just to have something to do. But her hands were still essentially useless, and she tensed her jaw because it was suddenly awkward. “What the hell are you doing at the Agathons?”

“Watching Hera,” Sam said, free hand barely twitching, no less awkwardly. “Athena had an urgent call.”

“And what, you were on the ship?” Kara asked dryly from under skeptical brows.

“Stopped by to ask a question, ended up watching the baby,” Sam said with a shrug. He swallowed. “Did you need something? You can come in.” He stepped back, and the door was open for her.

She only hesitated for a second, and then walked in. The door closed behind her with the heavy click of airlocks, and she glanced around. Hera was sitting on the floor, drool all over her as she sucked on a red ball. Kara sat on the edge of the couch, resting her hands in her lap, and somehow not noticing them anymore. Sam followed, folding his long lanky figure into a cross-legged sit on the floor by Hera.

“She’ll be back soon,” he said, looking up at Kara. His face was open, but his eyes were shaded from her.

The reminder of who she’d come here to see was somehow jarring. Kara looked away from him, gaze caught by Hera. She also was sitting cross-legged, bouncing slightly up and down as she chewed on the toy. “Mama,” she burbled at Sam.

“No, Mama isn’t back yet,” Sam said, a little smile on his mouth as he looked at the black-haired child. His voice was smoothly quiet, and Kara had never heard it quite like this. It was how she had learned to speak, just for a few days, even if she thought she never wanted to. “You know who this is, right?”

“Ahmm,” said Hera, sticking one fat hand towards Sam.

“That’s right,” said Sam with a simple grin, putting out one large finger for her to grab and get all sticky with drool. “I’m Sam.”

Kara felt Hera weaken her defenses, but even though this wasn’t Leoben’s trick, she wasn’t hers. But Kara didn’t want Hera to be hers, just wanted—she didn’t quite know, as usual.

Scooting off the edge of the couch, she carefully lowered herself to sit on the other side of Hera. “Hey, Hera,” she said quietly.

Hera turned from Sam, looked up at Kara with big black eyes.

“You like that ball a bit much, don’t you think?” Kara asked, vaguely gesturing towards the toy that Hera was still mauling.

Hera put on a baby smirk, even though she couldn’t understand. And Kara felt her lips form a small smile.

“Cute kid,” she said, then cleared the sudden lump in her throat.

“Yeah,” said Sam warmly.

Kara looked up to meet his eyes, but her smile didn’t fade.


End file.
